Lexington artist plays with perception in abstract paintings

Monday

Oct 10, 2011 at 12:01 AMOct 10, 2011 at 10:10 AM

Working out of the living room of her Lexington home, artist Lynda Schlosberg delves into her abstract paintings for two to three weeks at a time.

Working out of the living room of her Lexington home, artist Lynda Schlosberg delves into her abstract paintings for two to three weeks at a time. She describes the creative process for her brightly colored canvases — blanketed in minuscule dots, circles and lines — as “labor intensive.”

“The work is really, for me, an investigation of this idea that there kind of is no space between physical reality and our consciousness of our thoughts,” said Schlosberg, who teaches at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. “I’m constantly working on ways to collapse information down into a single plane but the paintings have a lot of depth because they’re so layered. But I’m more thinking of how they’re all weaving together.”

Schlosberg, 50, who has a background in graphic design as well as photography, noted the larger concept of her work has taken several years to develop, following the completion of her thesis at the Art Institute of Boston.

She elaborated on her process, which involves photographing scenes from science fiction movies and blowing up the images to highlight their pixilation. She then samples parts of different photographs and adds in others, like aerial images of trees and ice caps. The resulting hodgepodge of images serves as the source material for her acrylic paintings.

“My interest in the work is really about perceptions of consciousness. I’m trying to picture a world that is in our heads and not really physical reality,” Schlosberg said.

Pieces like the eye-catching “Falling,” a 3-foot square canvas with fine and detailed shapes, are currently featured at the 13FOREST Gallery in Arlington as a part of the exhibit “Space/Light/City.” Schlosberg’s work is on display with three other up-and-coming artists: Wade Aaron, who has exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as well as Boston contemporary artists Kenji Nakayama and Dana Woulfe.

“We were trying to think of a way to put them all together. Lynda’s work was really about space and how to use space, how you go into space and how she draws you in,” said gallery co-owner Marc Gurton, who operates the space with his partner Jim Kiely.

Kiely seconded the notion, stating Schlosberg was most attractive for their venue as a way to highlight a non-urban inspired artist living in the suburbs.

“Her ability as a painter is astounding,” he said. “Her paintings are not static at all. It keeps moving and one of the things I like most is the freedom in [her pieces]. She lets her imagination roam and the visual experience is very free.”

Layers of meaning

Schlosberg said there is a method to her abstract practices where she derives inspiration from the tangible but in the end, makes them seemingly unobtainable. She said she has an affinity for the science behind one’s consciousness and her research led her towards asking spiritual questions.

“I’ve had a lot of tragedies in my life that had me start questioning bigger questions and more philosophical ideas,” she said, explaining that her assemblage of materials on canvas isn’t meant to represent anything specific. “It’s interesting because the paintings are generated from ‘forced’ material — they’re not arbitrary, [or] out of my head.”

She said a snapshot of a flickering television screen results in certain patterns undetectable to the viewer.

“So it’s sort of picking up that energy field that you’re not aware of but it’s there,” she said. “Those become sort of the source material that all these layers I painted together weave together and create.”

Kiely expounded upon the layers, hinting at the tension within the medium.

“Her work has a lot of depth to it and the surface is a competition of surfaces,” he said. “Some things come out to the foreground and others recede.”

Schlosberg said she believes her growing up in the Lexington area has impacted her artistic point-of-view.

“I’m really influenced a lot by nature. I was doing a lot of photography and lots of nature photography. Walden Pond is one of my most favorite places,” she said, adding that her home near Wilson Farm and the Minuteman Bikeway is the perfect setting for artistic exploration. “I love to take long walks through the meadows for inspiration and great photography.”

Schlosberg, who is working on a solo show to open at Fitchburg State College in 2012, she said she has no plans to change her approach.

“It’s just sort of how I work. I’m not sure this is something that will change,” she said. “This will be a continual exploration.”

Samantha Allen can be reached at 781-674-7722 or saallen@wickedlocal.com.

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